Meditations on the Snainodecam

Meditating on my own tribe proved more draining than I anticipated it to be. By draining, I am referring to embracing the tribeswomen — or is it men — and the culture of Macedonians. My tribeswomen and your tribeswomen are alike, yet they differ. The Cultural Atlas of Australia has christened Macedonians as “warm, generous and hospitable people.” And still, according to a study by the UNODC[i] (2011) “citizens of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [sic] consider corruption as an important problem their country is facing.” For that is what distinguishes a tribe from a tribe, a people from a people — the way in which they are warm and corrupted.

My tribeswomen — and men — are just like yours, but different. Hiding under the umbrella of Southern Slavic people, Macedonians are usually attributed features which are associated with peoples from the Balkans. Namely, stereotypes that Macedonians are warm and welcoming. And usually, just like stereotypes, these statements can be dismissed. Claiming that Macedonians are “warm, generous and hospitable people” is the perspective of Western travelers who get preferential treatment. First, because they are the bread and butter of Macedonians and second, they come from a Western country. These conditions allow for bias and simultaneously prejudice. Therefore, people of different skin color — and other arbitrary traits which discriminate against people — get the short end of the stick. If they were to go on a public transportation vehicle for example, they would get unwanted and disapproving looks. They do not receive a preferential treatment, but just the opposite — they are frowned upon.

My tribeswomen — and men — are just like yours, but different. Although Macedonia stayed peaceful and warless in a region riven by conflict, it failed to prosper economically; therefore, leaving the population impoverished and corrupted. This was the perfect situation to set a precedent for a future abundant in corruption. Though corruption need not be necessarily fueled by scarcity; it can be also fueled by greed. Unfortunately, corruption in Macedonia is caused both by scarcity and greed. Scarcity is the chosen reasoning for being corrupt by an average Joe; whereas greed is the reasoning chosen by politicians for being corrupt. An average Joe, who is employed in public administration, cannot perform their function dutifully as they believe they are underpaid. As a result, they become corrupt. At the same time, people who hold a position in a public office do not perform their function dutifully as they are avaricious. Take for example, “The former head of North Macedonia’s Special Prosecution, Katica Janeva, [who] received 157,000 euros [sic] in bonuses during a four-year tenure that ended in arrest and bribery charges[…]” This highlights the fact that corruption runs even in the most significant independent body of the state, the judicial branch. Thus, everyone from the top to the bottom of the food chain, with the non-successful execution of their duties, leave the country in a state of a shambles.

Treading this thin line, I would like to emphasize that I do not paint the fairest picture as I have left unrepresented the ones that push for change. This is an ode to them. To the ones that would like to change the ways in which they are corrupted and warm. Or as George Eliot (2003) put it, “for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”

References

Apostolov, V. (2019, November 22). Database Reveals North Macedonia Ex-Prosecutor’s Big Bonuses. Retrieved December 4, 2019, from https://balkaninsight.com/2019/11/22/database-reveals-north-macedonia-ex-prosecutors-big-bonuses/

Eliot, G., & Ashton, R. (2003). Middlemarch. London: Penguin Books.

Macedonian Culture — Core Concepts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/macedonian-culture/macedonian-culture-core-concepts#macedonian-culture-core-concepts

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Statistics and Surveys Section and State Statistical Office. (2011). Corruption in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Bribery as Experienced by the Population. Retrieved from United Nations Database: https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/corruption/Corruption_report_fYR_Macedonia_FINAL_web.pdf

[i] United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime